Lock or latch



3--3 of Figure 1,

l Patented Mar. 6, 1945 STATES PATENT."ljorFlCE *f j Loenen LA'rcn BertaniL.Cu11um,Ananta,Ga. s. Application July 17, ima'seriaifn. 495,18

soiaims. `(o1. 29e-slimy My invention relates to looks or latches and has particular reference to guard means for the bolt, and aV striker plate for coaction with the bolt and guard means. y

An important object ot the invention is to pro- 'vide a guard which is adjustable` to cover the projected end` of the bolt, whereby `the bolt cannot be tampered with, to retract or cutthe same.

A furtherl object of the invention is Ito provide an adjustable striker plate, so that the bolt will securely lock with the striker plate, when the door is closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. unit including the bolt guard and strikerl'plate, bothof which are adjustable without interfering with each other. i y

A further object of theinvention is to provide a bolt guard which is adjustable in a straight line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the above mentioned character, which tio-n.

will be apparent during the course of the following description. l i

In the accompanying drawing .forming a part of this applicationqand in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a' device embodying my invention, taken .on line I-I of Figure 3,

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken on line vFigure 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4. is a perspectiveview of the keeper unit including the adjustabler bolt guard and striker plate,

`Figure 5 is a perspectiveview of the door plate and the fixed bolt guard, and s Figure 6'is a perspectiveiviewofnthe adjustablev tubular bolt guard.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustrationis shown a preferred' embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates ahorizontally-swinging door and the numeral 6 desig-H nates the jamboi the door casing, which jamb These sides and end are preferably formed integral and the sides I0 are preferably formed integral with a keeper-plate I2, arranged within is simple in construction and reliable in opera-v is, arranged next to the free vertical edge of the door. Disposed outwardly of the 'door 5 and at-v tached to the jamb 6 is a stop strip 'I.

The jamb 6 has an opening 8 formed in its Verticalface next to the free edge of the door for receiving a keeper-housing 9, embodying ver' tical sides lil connected by an inner end II.

a recess I3, and held in place byy screws I4.' The top and bottom of the keeper-housing S are open and its inner end is open, such opening passing through the keeper-plate I2, as shown. Y

Mounted 'within the keeper-housing 9 is a vrectilinear. reciprocato-ry Vtubular bolt guard I 5,

which is preferablysquare in cross section, and includes ari-outer side I6, a top l1, a, bottom I8, and an innerside I9. The opposite ends of this guard I 5 are open, andthe parts `of the same are preferably integral.

stop strip l.; .The inner side I9 is provided at 2l), which alsoextends through the edges c-f the top l1 and bottom I8, 'as' shown. The side I carries adjustable clamping screws 2I, operating within elongated slots 22. The sidejIS carries an adjustable clamping screw 23 operating within an elongated slot 24. It is thusseen that thetubular guardl I5 Vmay vbe longitudinally adjusted in a straight line, and clamped to the keeper-housing 9 ina selected adjusted position, so that the outer end projects beyond the keeper-plate I2. The cutaway portion or opening 20 at the inner y.side I9 of the adjustable boltguard provides a passage for the bolt, when the'door lis opened or closed.

The material of the keeper-plate I2,- atits inner vertical edgeis offset inwardly as shown at 25'. an-d extended to 'provide an adjustable striker plate, including an inner static-nary plate 25,

which is'bent upon itself at 26, providing an outery thereto, and preferably bent from the same, and y this yextension 4venters the'opening or.l cutaway portion 2B. zin-adjustable clamping screw "29, operating in a longitudinal'slot 30. Upon manipulation 'of the screW'ZS, the extension-'Zlirnay be clamped to the adjacent side ID,v The outer plate 21 is laterally shiftable with'relation to the inner plate `25, the same swinging about-the bentportion' 26,;and

the extension `28 serves as a stop for the bolt.v

'lhe inner plate 25 is provided with an adjustable set screw 3|, engaging the inner face vof the'plate 2l, and also serving to hold or support the plate 21 in the outer adjusted position.

The door 5 is provided with an opening 32, ex tending through its free edge and this opening .The` outer` side I6 is arl rangedV next to vthe outer side of the door and The extension 28 is provided withv receives Ia housing 33 for a reciprocatory bolt 34,

having an inclined or beveled face 35. The bolt 34 may be an outwardly spring pressed bolt of a latch, or the bolt of a lock, which bolt is projected by a key, or it maybe a manually operated sliding bolt. The housing 33 has a door-plate 36 rigidly secured thereto and this door-plate is mounted upon the free edge of the door 5, as shown. A tubular fixed bolt guard or iiange 31 is rigidly attached to the `door-plate 36 and surrounds the outer end of the bolt 34. The guard 3l is smaller than the adjustable guard I5 and is adapted to be moved into the outer projected end of the guard I5, so that these two guards assume a telescoping relation, when the door is closed.

The operation of the device is as follows:

As is well known, a door frequently shrinks, thereby providing a crack or space between the free vertical edge of the door and the jamb. By removing the outer stop strip 'I, the lock may be tampered with, and the bolt veither retracted or cutso that the door can be improperly opened. To prevent this, my rectilinear reciprocatory tubular bolt guard l5 is shifted outwardly with respect to the keeper-housing 9, so that it will project beyond the keeper-plate I2 and have its free end arranged in close relation to the door 5, and overlap the outer end of the bolt 34, Figure 3. 'Ihe outer side IB is arranged next to the outer side of the door. The fixed bolt guard 3l, when the door 5 is closed, also surrounds the free end of the bolt 34 and is arranged within the guard l5, and these two parts telescope. As shown in Figure 3, it would be impossible for an implement, upon the outer side of the door 5, to be passed inwardly beyond the telescoping guards I5 and 3l, to retract the bolt 34, or out the same. When the adjustable guard I5 is shifted to the selected position, it is clamped in this position by the clamping screws 2| and 23. Due to the shrinking of the door and wearing away of the beveled or inclined end of the bolt 34, this bolt may not have a secure locking engagement with the keeperhousing. By adjusting the screws 29 and 3|, the outer plate 2l' of the striker plate may be shifted outwardly toward the door, and locked in the selected position. This will bring the extension 28 in the path of travel of the outer end of the bolt 34, thus assuring that the bolt will have proper locking engagement with the extension 28 of the keeper-housing. ,The cutaway portion or opening receives the extension 28 and permits of the adjustment of the outer plate 2l and also the adjustment of the guard I 5.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts, may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a lockor latch, a keeper-plate to be secured to a door jamb and having a bolt receiving opening, a striker plate carried by the keeperplate and including overlapping inner and outer plates, the outer plate having a, lateral extension at its free end which enters the opening of the keeper-plate, adjustable means to clamp the extension in the selected adjusted position, and adjustable means engaging the outer plate to hold it in the selected adjusted position.

2. In a lock or latch, a keeper-plate having a bolt receiving opening, an extension carried by the keeper-plate and bent upon itself between its ends to provide inner and outer plates, the outer plate being laterally shiftable with relation to the inner plate, and adjustable means to hold the outer plate spaced from the inner plate.

3. In a lock or latch, a keeper-housing secured in a recess formed in the edge of a door jamb, a reciprocatory tubular bolt guard within the keeper-housing and having outer and inner sides, the inner side having an opening near its inner end, adjustable means to hold the tubular guard in a selected adjusted position, a striker plate secured to the keeper-housing and including overlapping inner and outer plates, the outer plate having an extension adjacent toits free end, said extension entering the opening of the inner side of the tubular guard, and adjustable means to hold the extension in a selected adjusted position.

4. In a lock or latch, a keeper-housing secured in a recess formed in the edge of a door jamb, a reciprocatory tubular bolt guard within the keeperhousing and having outer and inner sides, the inner side having an opening near its inner end, adjustable means to hold the tubular guard in a selected adjusted position, a striker plate secured to the keeperhousing and including an extension-element which yis bent upon itself to provide overlapping inner and outer plates, the outer plate being provided at its free end with an extension disposed at substantially a right angle thereto and arranged in the opening of the inner side of the tubular guard and having its face substantially iiush with the face of such inner side, and means for clamping the extension to the adjacent side of the keeper-housing in a selected adjusted position.

5. In a lock or latch, a keeper-housing secured in a recess `formed in the edge of a door jamb, the keeper-housing having a longitudinal slot, areciprocato-ry tubular bolt guard mounted within the keeper-housing, and having inner and outer sides, the inner side having an opening near its inner end, a clamping screw mounted within the longitudinal slot of the keeper-housing and engaging the tubular bolt guard to clamp the same to the keeper-housing in a selected adjusted position, a striker plate secured to the keeper-housing and including an extension-element which is bent .upon itself to provide overlapping inner and outer plates, the outer plate being provided at its free end with an extension disposed at substantially a right angle thereto and arranged in the opening of the inner side of the tubular bolt guard, the keeper-housing having a longitudinal slot near the extension, and a clamping screw extending through the last named slot and engaging the extension to clamp the extension to the adjacent side of the keeper-housing in a selected adjusted position.

BERTRAM L. CULLUM. 

